A Grade 6 pupil in Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental, has accused a teacher of unlawfully detaining her after being wrongfully accused of stealing money at Kinabong 2 Elementary School in Brgy. Igmaya-an. The 11-year-old girl, identified as Fatima, went to Bombo Radyo Bacolod along with her brother-in-law to file a complaint against her Grade 3 adviser, Ranil Palabrica.
According to Fatima, the incident occurred on August 27 at around 3:00 PM when Palabrica summoned her and brought her to the school’s sleeping quarters. There, he accused her of stealing over P900 that had gone missing from his possession around midnight earlier that day. Fatima, however, denied the accusation, claiming she was at home asleep during the time of the alleged theft.
Fatima also revealed that another teacher, Jennel Ribatado, was present during the confrontation and pressured her to confess to the crime. Despite her persistent denial of any wrongdoing, both Palabrica and Ribatado allegedly refused to release her, telling her she would not be allowed to leave unless she admitted to the theft.
The young girl recounted how other teachers tried to intervene, urging Palabrica and Ribatado to let her go, as there was no concrete evidence of her involvement. However, Fatima was detained from 3:00 PM until she was finally released at 7:00 PM.
In a shocking twist, Fatima claimed that four armed men stood outside the room, guarding her during her detention. She further alleged that Palabrica threatened her, saying that if she reported the incident, the armed men would kill her.
Fatima also disclosed that this was not the first time such an incident occurred. She revealed that a year earlier, on August 27, she was similarly detained by the same teacher. On that occasion, she was held from 3:00 PM until 5:00 AM the following day.
The case has sparked outrage among the local community, with many calling for an immediate investigation into the teacher’s actions. Authorities are expected to probe the matter to determine if charges should be filed against Palabrica and Ribatado.